Employee Spotlight – February 2017

Patrick Brin

SENIOR PROJECT CONSULTANT | ORLANDO, FL

Patrick Brin was hired in January of 2013 as a Senior Project Consultant in the Orlando office. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in Finance, from the University of Central Florida. Patrick has over 25 years of experience providing finance, rates and regulatory consulting services to clients in the electric utility industry, ranging from joint action municipal power agencies to cooperative G&Ts to various municipal utilities. Patrick is an integral part of the GDS Rates and Regulatory group and is active in numerous wholesale jurisdictional proceedings at the FERC. Over the last few years, Patrick has participated in settlement deliberations that have come about as a result of GDS’s client protests of FERC filings by investor-owned utilities’ on a multitude of issues, many involving transmission and production formula rates. Patrick has been particularly active in various cases involving Entergy, Duke Energy, PacifiCorp, and Southwestern Public Service Company, to name a few.
Patrick started his career at R.W. Beck in 1990, assisting mainly joint action municipal power agencies in the Southeast U.S. including NCEMPA, NCMPA1, PMPA, MEAG, and FMPA. His experience includes municipal finance, wholesale cost-of-service and rates, and litigation support services. Patrick also has in-depth experience in the area of transmission and ancillary services cost of service and rates. Patrick and his wife have been happily married for 20 years, and have a twelve-year-old daughter. Patrick was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and loves all water sport activities. In his free time, Patrick enjoys traveling and going to the beach with his family. Patrick is also fluent in Portuguese and French

What are your favorite places to visit?
I enjoy visiting our neighbors to the north in Canada for the wonderful skiing and warm hospitality, and to our south in Mexico for the beautiful beaches and great food. I also enjoy going to the Caribbean, Brazil and everywhere in Europe.Best vacation you have been on?
My best and most memorable vacation was our trip to French Polynesia for our tenth wedding anniversary. We visited the incredibly beautiful Society Islands archipelago, which includes Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea and Tahaa.What is the most important thing you have learned since joining GDS?
I have learned that, while generally considered a small consulting firm relative to industry standards, GDS’ wealth of knowledge and expertise in many cases rivals that of the much larger consulting firms. The tremendous number of long-term clients that we serve around the country speaks volumes of the confidence and trust that our clients have bestowed on us. The value that GDS places on its relationship with its clients is what sets it apart from the competitors.What do you like most about the work you do at GDS?
The thing I like most about the work I do at GDS is that the regulatory environment is always changing. Whether it is driven by technological advances or just politics, the dynamic nature of the work makes it very interesting. I am constantly developing my skills; always learning something new. In addition, I work with a wonderful team of people that strive to do their very best for our clients, which inspires me in that pursuit.What motivates you?
I enjoy learning new things. Simply put, if learning is involved, I am motivated. Whether it is a new regulatory policy, or an accounting principal, or a new language, I am fascinated with just the fact that I am learning something new.